Chicken Broth

Chicken Broth

A plain chicken broth is great to have on hand. When I make it, I usually serve it with noodles the first time, adding pieces of the chicken and carrot to the soup. However, the clear broth can also be used for the base of other soups or served with tortellini or pastina.

If you want to make a pot and store it for a while it can be done easily. Once cooked, remove the chicken and vegetables and place the broth into clean hot mason jars. Be sure to put it in the jars while the soup is still hot. The heat will seal the lid on the jar and you can store it in your refrigerator unopened for up to 2 weeks.

Add 4 quarts of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Wash and remove the skin from the chicken. I usually leave a small part of the skin on one piece of the chicken to add a little extra flavor, but you can remove it all completely for a lower fat content. Add the clean chicken to the boiling water and simmer for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel and wash the onion, carrots, and garlic and wash the celery.

Take a large spoon and remove any residue from the chicken that rises to the top of the pot. Then add all the vegetables, bay leaf, chicken stock, and salt.

Cover and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 1 – 1/2 hours.

The soup is ready to use or you can choose to store it for later use. Remove the onion, celery, and garlic cloves and discard. You can shred some of the chicken and cut of the carrots to serve with your soup. If you want to store it for later, remove the chicken and carrots before putting it into the jars. Follow the instructions above for storage.